Customer Effort Score (CES) in Product Metrics

Introduction to Customer Effort Score (CES)

When you use a product, how easy is it to get what you want done? Customer Effort Score (CES) measures this ease. It shows how much effort customers put into using a product or service. This metric helps companies understand and improve user experience.

In product management, CES is vital. It tells you if your product is simple or frustrating. Lower effort means happier customers and better retention. Let’s explore how CES works and why it matters for your product metrics.

What Is Customer Effort Score (CES)?

CES is a simple survey question asking customers how much effort they needed to complete a task. Usually, it uses a scale from 1 (very low effort) to 7 or 5 (very high effort). The lower the score, the easier the experience.

This metric focuses on ease, not satisfaction or loyalty. It measures the friction points customers face. For example, if signing up for a service is quick and smooth, CES will be low. If it’s confusing or slow, CES will be high.

• CES surveys are short and direct.
• They target specific actions like checkout or support requests.
• They help identify pain points quickly.

Many companies use CES alongside Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) for a full view of customer experience.

Why CES Matters in Product Metrics

CES gives you clear insight into how easy your product is to use. It helps you spot where users struggle. This is crucial because effort affects loyalty and retention more than delight alone.

Research shows customers who expend less effort are more likely to stay and buy again. High effort leads to frustration and churn. CES helps product teams focus on reducing friction.

• Improves user onboarding by identifying confusing steps.
• Optimizes features that cause delays or errors.
• Supports customer support by highlighting tough interactions.

By tracking CES over time, you can measure if product changes make things easier. This data-driven approach helps prioritize fixes that matter most to users.

How to Measure Customer Effort Score Effectively

Measuring CES is simple but requires strategy. You need to ask the right question at the right time. The classic CES question is: "How much effort did you personally have to put forth to handle your request?"

Here are key steps to measure CES well:

• Choose specific touchpoints: Ask after key actions like purchase, signup, or support interaction.
• Use a consistent scale: Typically 1 to 5 or 1 to 7, where lower means less effort.
• Keep surveys short: One or two questions to avoid fatigue.
• Collect qualitative feedback: Add an open field for users to explain their score.
• Analyze by segment: Look at CES by user type, device, or feature used.

Tools like Typeform, SurveyMonkey, or in-app survey platforms integrate well with product analytics. No-code tools like Make or Zapier can automate survey delivery and data collection.

Using CES to Improve Product Experience

Once you have CES data, use it to make your product easier. Focus on the highest effort areas first. For example, if users report high effort during onboarding, simplify that process.

Here’s how to act on CES insights:

• Identify friction points: Use CES scores and comments to find where users struggle.
• Prioritize fixes: Focus on changes that reduce effort most effectively.
• Test improvements: After changes, measure CES again to see impact.
• Share results: Communicate CES trends with your team to keep everyone focused on ease.

For example, a no-code app builder like Bubble might track CES after users create their first app. If scores are high, they could improve tutorials or UI to reduce effort.

Examples of CES in No-Code/Low-Code Products

No-code and low-code platforms rely heavily on ease of use. CES is a perfect fit to measure this. Here are some examples:

• Glide: After users build an app, Glide asks CES to see how easy the process was. They use feedback to simplify templates and onboarding.
• FlutterFlow: Measures CES after users deploy apps. High effort scores led to better documentation and drag-drop improvements.
• Make (Integromat): Sends CES surveys after users create automation scenarios. This helps identify confusing steps in workflow setup.
• Zapier: Uses CES to track ease of connecting apps. They improve UI based on CES trends to reduce user effort.

These platforms combine CES with usage data to create smoother experiences and reduce churn.

Conclusion

Customer Effort Score (CES) is a powerful metric to understand how easy your product is for users. It focuses on reducing friction, which leads to happier customers and better retention. By measuring CES at key moments, you get clear insights into pain points.

Using CES alongside other metrics helps you build a product that feels simple and intuitive. No-code and low-code tools benefit greatly from CES by improving onboarding and workflows. Start measuring CES today to make your product easier and more enjoyable for your users.